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Things have started to unravel at Southampton in recent years.

The days of developing players like Luke Shaw and Adam Lallana before selling them on for huge fees, coupled with their smart recruitment when signings players such as Sadio Mane, seem like a far cry right now.

After stepping into the hotseat in 2015, Ross Wilson was the man responsible for recruitment at St Mary's. Wilson recently departed for Rangers following a spell in which he alienated plenty of supporters on the south coast.

With his departure still fresh in mind, let's reflect on his tenure and take a look at some of his more questionable transfer dealings while at Southampton...

[snack_break title="Mohamed Elyounoussi"]

Signed from FC Basel in a deal worth the substantial sum of £16m, Mohamed Elyounoussi looked to be a promising purchase for the Saints.

The Norway international had scored 23 goals and recorded 30 assists for Basel in just 84 games before moving to England, but things didn't go as planned.

The 25-year-old never scored for the Saints, nor did he grab an assist in 19 appearances, before leaving to join Celtic on loan back in the summer.

A costly mistake, to say the least.

[snack_break title="Wesley Hoedt"]

Another significant waste of money from Wilson.

The Dutch centre-back arrived at St Mary's after Southampton handed Lazio £15m for his services.

You'd expect some degree of basic defensive competency for that price, but it's safe to say Hoedt was thoroughly awful before he was sent out on loan to Royal Antwerp in the summer.

It's unlikely there's any way back for Hoedt with the Saints.

[snack_break title="Guido Carrillo"]

Arguably one of Southampton's worst signings in years, let alone just a poor purchase from Wilson.

The Argentine striker was signed from Monaco in a then club-record deal worth £19m, but the St Mary's faithful are still yet to see Carrillo actually score a goal.

He has recorded just two assists in ten appearances for the club, and he has been on loan at La Liga side CD Leganes since July 2018.

What a huge waste of money from Wilson.

[snack_break title="Jannik Vestergaard"]

The 6 foot 6 Dane is still at the club and has started eight Premier League games already this season, but he has been far from convincing in that time.

Signed for a fee of £18m, Southampton fans would have expected much more from the towering defender.

The Saints have conceded the third-highest number of goals in the Premier League this term with 16 concessions in nine games.

While the blame for the defensive record cannot be left solely at his doorstep, the former Borussia Monchengladbach man certainly needs to improve to avoid being labelled a flop.

[snack_break title="Mario Lemina"]

This is a player who has looked decent in spells but has largely been a disappointment as well as a man who got on the wrong side of Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Lemina signed from Juventus in a deal worth £18.1m, seemingly arriving with real pedigree having played Champions League football and won titles with the Italian giants.

However, apart from the odd eye-catching slalom or moment of futile flair, the Gabon midfielder has been more trouble than good and was shipped out on loan back in the summer, following Carrillo, Hoedt and Elyounoussi into exile.

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